June 2019 – Tyrone Corrective Chiropractic

How do you cope with stress from your life, family, and job?

Before you think of looking for a therapist, there are ways to deal with stress that don’t involve lying down on a couch. These simple ways of reducing stress just require a bit of your time and an open mind.

Exercise
Hitting the gym after going through a stressful situation helps you manage stress the next time around. A study showed that students who exercised moderately after sitting through a test felt calmer and relaxed compared to students who didn’t. Scientists explain this to be due to the decrease in cortisol, the stress inducing hormone and the release of endorphins, body chemicals that improve your mood.
Reducing Caffeine Intake
Studies show that caffeine is healthy in moderation but taking too much of it makes you jittery and anxious. Caffeine addicts experience crankiness and headaches when they miss their daily cup and experience the same after the caffeine high. Slowly weaning yourself off caffeine should decrease these symptoms.
Have a good laugh
A good belly laugh feels so good because your stress hormone is fired up, your heart rate and blood pressure both increase then comes back down. The rapid breathing during laughter enhances your intake of oxygen that stimulates the heart, lungs and muscles. Endorphins surge in our body and makes you feel good. Laughter is the best medicine indeed.
Play with your pet
Pets aren’t just your 4-legged companion, they also alleviate the effects of stress. According to a study, workplaces that allow their employees to bring their dogs to work experience lowered stress levels and higher employee satisfaction. This is because of the increase in oxytocin, the hormone that promotes positive mood.
Listen to relaxing music.
Slow, subtle instrumental tracks have stress-reducing effects. Called the ‘Mozart effect’, it reduces your anxiety, depression and cortisol levels. Nature sounds, classical music, Celtic and Native Amer.
Chew gum.
The simple act of chewing on gum promotes blood flow to your brain which greatly improves emotions, chewing harder offers the most stress relief. A study also found out that chewing gum while multitasking under taxing situations reduced anxiety, stress, brought down cortisol levels and increased alertness and performance.
Spend time with people you love.
Filling up your emotional tank by being with family and friends will help you manage your stress better. Having emotional connections to people who surround you gives you a sense of belonging and self-worth. A study found out that women who spend time with friends and children had higher levels of oxytocin. Both genders could benefit from these relationships and you’re better off having friends – one study showed that people with few social connections were more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.
Learn to say no.
Don’t be a pushover and learn to say no. Situations where you find yourself unable to say no are extremely stressful whereas you could’ve totally avoided the situation by being firm and saying no. Forcing yourself to do what discomforts you can increase your stress levels. Saying ‘no’ to things that add to your load is taking control of your life.
Do yoga.
While the actual mechanics of how yoga reduces stress is still unknown, it doesn’t take away from how effective it is in enhancing your mood. The goal of yoga to unite your mind and body has been found to be as effective as antidepressant medication which has made it a popular method of stress relief among all age groups.
Keep a journal.
Writing things down helps you maintain a healthy perspective in life. Record both what’s stressing you out and the things you’re grateful for. Having a tangible list of the good things relieves stress and anxiety by focusing on the positive things in your life.

Your post-race recovery plan

Cheers to training for a marathon!

Your season of grueling training will commence in getting past the finish line, the result of your hard work and discipline. While you revel in the idea of basking in the post-marathon afterglow – sweat, cramps, exhaustion and all – also take recovery into consideration

Everyone’s road to recovery is unique to the circumstances of their race, race condition, training regimen, health, and pace.

Despite these variables, there are tested methods that runners avow to. Follow these proven post-race recovery tips and you’ll be zooming off in a week

Walk it off

Tempting as it may be, don’t just drop down on the grass.

A 26.2-mile run is punishing your body, exerting undue stress to your muscles, heart, and lungs that just disappear once you’ve crossed the finish line, and in fact, it’s in post-race that you’ll feel the brunt of it.

Let your body ease out of marathon mode by walking around to gradually decrease heart rate so your blood flow returns to the resting state.

Walking around helps rid of the lactic acid that’s built up in your muscles through the course of the marathon, so walk around for 15 to 20 minutes before taking a rest.

Post-race ice baths

Completing a marathon is like putting your body through a meat grinder.

At the final leg of a marathon, the effects of muscle and joint damage starts to be felt – the buildup of lactic acid in the legs results in cramps and every step sends a painful jolt through your body. A post-race ice bath reduces muscle pain because the low temperature forces the blood vessels to narrow which gets rid of the acid build up and reduce swelling.

Don’t just jump into a tub of ice cubes though.

Ice bath:

Fill a tub with enough water to envelop your lower body and submerge yourself.
Add ice cubes gradually to the water so it’s less shocking to your system and more bearable.
Soak in the tub for 5-10 minutes but the rule to abide by is the colder the water, the less time you spend in it.
Finish the ice bath with a warm shower. The hot temperature dilates the blood vessels to increase blood flow and oxygen supply, causing a pumping action.

Ice massage: A pack of ice cubes over the strained muscles should do the trick.

Eat!

Your post-race chow should be a small snack to take in 300 calories from carbohydrates to maintain blood sugar levels, replenish muscle glycogen and protein to keep blood sugar levels.

Your diet after the marathon should comprise of protein-rich food like nuts, meat, and cheese to hasten the repair of muscle tissues, and while that list sounds drab, indulge yourself with chocolate milk which surprisingly has an optimal ratio of carbs and protein. Also, in the lieu of sports drinks and other fancy drinks, nothing hydrates better than water!

Water will help aid your body’s fast to recover, so drink up!

Recuperate

In the heat of things, many people swear that their first marathon will be their last, maybe you’ve been there too. The rush of finishing a marathon and seeing the fruit of a season of training can be addicting though, and the itch to start getting into a form may come soon, even sooner than your body can handle. The meat grinder metaphor exists for a reason and state of your body after a race should tell you why.

Give your body time to recover, and it’s not just the muscles that need R&R. Your kidneys, heart, circulatory system, your entire body is put through so much stress over the course of a marathon it’s not wise to get back out there when it’s just been wrung to a pulp.

Experts advise taking one day of rest for each mile raced or taking three to seven days of no running after a marathon.

After this period, you should take the time to test the waters by going into cross training or any activity that boost circulation and warms your muscles. An easy 30-minute run should clue you in on how far into recovery you are. When nothing hurts and it’s all good, slowly increment your running distance but stick to easy runs.

At the end of this period, try slipping into your regular running routine if you can do it. If all is well. You can go back running at your usual pace if you feel good. The key is listening to your body and giving it the time to repair itself.

10 Simple, Science-backed ways to reduce Stress

How to recover from a marathon

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